Author: Linni Kral
Campus Safety has added a new car to their fleet. It’s a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, purchased by the department in November 2008 to replace the Nissan Maxima Lt. Joseph Cunje had been driving for 22 years.
“That was a test car given to us for free by Nissan,” Cunje said. “It was falling apart.”
In the past, Campus Safety acquired vehicles through former department director George Koga’s connections with a used car dealer who got the department a car about once a year. This is the first new vehicle Campus Safety has purchased in the 26 years Cunje has worked at Oxy.
Cunje said they decided on a new car because they wanted a hybrid, and most of these are recent models.
“I wanted to set the tone on campus to go green,” Cunje said. Cunje was instrumental in urging the department to purchase a hybrid, because he feels that a lot of campuses are going in that direction and because Campus Safety vehicles rely more on efficiency than speed or mileage in traversing Oxy’s hilly campus.
“We understand that the College has a sustainability committee that may take up such topics in the future,” Campus Safety Director Holly Nieto said. “We wanted to be ahead of that curve.”
Funds to make the acquisition came from the school’s Capital Equipment fund, which contains a line item called Maintenance, Renewal and Replacement (MR&R). This is reserved for campus equipment or buildings that wear out over time. Facilities maintains an MR&R database which lists all the college’s renewal projects and keeps track of where the college’s resources will be allocated.
The Board of Trustees Buildings and Grounds committee reviews the database and uses of the fund. During the 2008 fall semester, they decided that patrol vehicle #26 was costing too much money in repairs and needed to be replaced.
“The vehicle had a six cylinder engine that averaged 18 miles per gallon,” Vice President for Administration and Finance Michael Groener said, pointing out that the new car has a four cylinder engine that averages 34 miles per gallon. The new vehicle, including special equipment such as radios, will cost under $30,000.
“Everyone was shocked we got the car so quickly,” Cunje said. After Nieto got their fund request authorized, Cunje began researching and test-driving. He said the Malibu offered the best package because it came with a warranty, satellite radio and OnStar navigation.
He also brought his sons along, both Oxy graduates who measure in at 6’7″ and 6′, to test the legroom. They were pleased with the car’s spaciousness. “If they can be comfortable in it, then it fits the purpose of escorting,” Cunje said.
The Malibu is not, however, currently used for student transportation. It is reserved for day-watch supervision and can only be driven by Cunje, Sergeant Claudia Conde and Nieto.
“I think we will increase the fleet as soon as others start going,” Cunje said, referencing the department’s other aging vehicles.
The Malibu works by shutting off its gasoline engine at stops, which is a boon to the Campus Safety cars that patrol campus and often idle. To some students, however, this is not enough.
“The Malibu Hybrid is a relatively inexpensive ‘mild’ hybrid,” Urban & Environmental Policy major Michael Sin (sophomore) said. “‘Full’ hybrids, like the Ford Escape Hybrid, use a larger battery and a separate electric motor, and they could potentially do an entire loop around campus without the gasoline running.”
Increased battery pack size does result in increased cost – the Ford Fusion Hybrid, for example, is $2,000 more than the Chevy Malibu. “But at 41 miles per gallon, it ekes an additional 15 miles per gallon of fuel,” Sin said.
“Our school is relatively behind in making environmentally-friendly choices. We’re supposed to be ahead of the curve, we’re a progressive liberal arts college in smoggy Los Angeles,” UEP major Kayt Fitzmorris (junior) said. Many students share these sentiments, and have found ways to express themselves to the administration.
“Past classes in UEP and Physics have researched the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles and shared findings and recommendations with the college,” UEP Adjunct Professor Mark Vallianatos said. Vallianatos teaches UEP 267/247, a course that advocates campus greening. This course helped create Oxy’s Sustainability Fund, which supports efforts to make the campus a more sustainable place.
“Buying a hybrid car for a Campus Safety officer to drive around campus is a great way to add visibility to Oxy’s greening efforts, as well as to the Sustainability Fund that is trying to make many more changes like this one,” Fitzmorris said. “I think that the car is a good step, but hopefully it will be a catalyst for more improvements, not make the school feel like it’s done its part.”
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